Michael Faraday, His Life and Work: reading level, length and free edition

Name: Michael Faraday, His Life and Work
Author: Silvanus P. Thompson

Michael Faraday, His Life and Work by Silvanus P. Thompson is a biography in English. Our team rates it B2. It runs to 88,927 words with 8,124 different word forms, about 7.5–15 h of reading at 200 to 100 words per minute, and it is free from Project Gutenberg.

By the Readlang Mobile team (an independent app, not affiliated with readlang.com). Updated 31 October 2026.

Cover of Michael Faraday, His Life and Work

Author: Silvanus P. Thompson
Language: English
Level: B2
Form: biography
Words: 88,927
Different word forms: 8,124
Forms for 95% / 98%: 4,078 / 6,346
Reading time: 7.5–15 h
Free edition: Project Gutenberg

"Michael Faraday, His Life and Work" by Silvanus P. Thompson is a historical account written in the late 19th century. The book explores the life and achievements of Michael Faraday, a pivotal figure in the development of electrical engineering and physics. It offers insights into his early years, education, and the significant contributions he made to science, particularly in electromagnetism and electrochemistry. The opening of the book delves into Faraday’s early life, detailing his birth into a modest family and the struggles he faced. Despite a lack of formal education, Faraday displayed an insatiable curiosity for science, which was nurtured during his apprenticeship as a bookbinder. The narrative highlights the formative experiences he had, including attending lectures that would shape his scientific journey, reflecting his enduring passion for learning and discovery. This early foundation ultimately paved the way for his groundbreaking work at the Royal Institution, under the mentorship of Sir Humphry Davy.

Is Michael Faraday, His Life and Work right for your level?

To recognise 95% of the running words in Michael Faraday, His Life and Work, you need its 4,078 most frequent word forms; for 98%, the share at which most readers manage a novel without a dictionary, 6,346. The median English B2 book in our table needs 3,747 forms for 95%, so by this measure the book is typical for its level: number 13 of 19, easiest first.

A word form is any spelling that appears in the text, so “walk” and “walked” count twice, and names count too. These numbers are a guide to how much vocabulary the book asks for, not a test. The level itself was set by hand by our team. Before you commit, read one page of the free edition and count the words you do not know: the one-page test takes two minutes.

Which words should you know before you start?

These are the words that Michael Faraday, His Life and Work uses most often but that are not among the 2,000 most common word forms across all 309 English books in our library; the number is how many times each appears. Names of people and places are left out. Learning a handful of them first makes the opening chapters easier.

magnetic 249
electric 195
current 156
electricity 143
wire 137
magnet 136
lectures 118
researches 113
experiments 104
induction 96
experiment 85
copper 78
currents 76
magnetism 74
chemical 71

How does it begin?

By Percy Frankland , Ph.D.(Würzburg), B.Sc. (Lond.), F.R.S., and Mrs. Percy Frankland .

From the Project Gutenberg edition, which is in the public domain. If this paragraph already feels slow, try a book one level lower.

How long does it take to read?

Hours to read *Michael Faraday, His Life and Work* (88,927 words) at four reading speeds.
Words	100 wpm	150 wpm	200 wpm	250 wpm
88,927	15 h	10 h	7.5 h	6 h

Learners reading a book at their level often manage 100 to 150 words per minute, and readers in their first language 200 to 250. Where these speeds come from, and a calculator for your own: How long does it take to read a book?

Where can you read it for free?

The free edition is Project Gutenberg eBook #65735. Project Gutenberg publishes books that are in the public domain in the United States, as EPUB, Kindle and plain text, free and without an account. Copyright terms differ by country: if you live outside the United States, check that the book is out of copyright where you are before you download it.

To read it with a translation over every word you tap, open it in Readlang Mobile on iPhone or iPad.